21 While 21

Twenty one, the age that so many of us look forward to turning. It's one of the first major birthdays, after 16 & 18 but I think that most people will agree that 21 is much more exciting!

It is such a milestone because you are officially an adult! You can buy whatever beverages you like, go to casinos and take part in the games they offer. You are now legal and with that comes more freedom but also more responsibilities. There is more pressure placed on you and people have higher expectations of you as well.

It can be an age that is scary, you are more of an adult than you were when you turned 18 but you may still feel torn between "teenager" (even though once you're 20 you're not a teen anymore) and full adult, I know I do lol. Adulting is hard and being 21 means accepting and having more responsibilities. If you are still in school like I am and not working full time, that can also add to feeling stuck in between, in between being a student (which may mean you are viewed as a "kid") and an adult. However, it is a very important age, as it goes along with the importance of college too, here I am taking about the non academic-wise importance of college (which will be a whole other post) and having the time to get used to being more independent and taking care of yourself before being out in "real world" that we all find so daunting (slight Divergent reference anyone? 📘😉)

I cannot believe that I've already been 21 for about a month now. 🎉Time is just flying by so fast, it's so weird to think about how we're halfway through 2017 already! I personally don't want the summer to feel like it goes by in the blink of an eye, I decided that I wanted to come up with a list of things that I would like to accomplish or do while I am 21 and I hope to get a good start on them this summer!

So here goes nothing;

21 things I want to do, see, or accomplish while I am 21

1. Travel More
    I love traveling and really want to get back to Europe someday as well as visit Asia and the West
    Coast of the U.S. There are too many places to name though! I know that realistically I probably
    won't be able to do a big trip anytime this  year so Vermont and Montreal are at the top of my list
    as of now. They are 2 of the more "practical" places for me since they are not too far away.

Picture I took during my travels this past fall!

2. Gain More Confidence 
    A bit self-explanatory, I have pretty low self-confidence and want to increase it. I want to work
   on comparing myself and others less in negative ways, and  care less about what random people
   think of  me (insignificant meaning that I don't know them at all or they are just an
   ignorant/unpleasant person)

3. Stick to a Hobby 
    Such as drawing or painting

4. Spend More Time Outside
    Fresh air is so good for you and I hardly ever remember to sit and read outside when it's nice out
    rather than staying indoors

A park I came across in Venice, parks can be so relaxing to walk through or sit in

5. Complete an Online Tutorial 
    Maybe a Khan Academy course that goes very in depth on Excel as a deep knowledge of this will
    definitely in my career path

6. Learn a New Skill
    Possibly cross stitch (or something along that line) 

7. Write More Blog Posts
    I often get so caught up with school that I neglect my blog and I forget how much I enjoy writing
    posts. I hope that this year I am able to be more dedicated to it and produce content much more
    often.

8. Take More Pictures
    Even in today's day and age where everything is digital and we have the ability to take out or
    phones in an instant and snap a picture I usually find myself taking pictures of things and not
    people. And now I don't mean to sound narcissistic but I don't have too many current photos that I
    am actually in. There also aren't many current photos of  my friends and I or my family.I want to
    start taking more pictures of and with people in order to capture our memories.

9.  Attend More Concerts
     I am someone who realy enjoys going to concerts and music festivals and so I hope to be able to
     attend multiple this year.

 My sister and I saw Dua Lipa in March during her first U.S. headlining tour! It was one of the best concerts I've been to!

   
10. Learn More Code
      I am hoping to further customize my blog template and just be able to have more knowledge to
     do certain things or fix problems I run into

11. Improve PhotoShop Skills
      I want to increase my knowledge of PhotoShop and start using it on a regular basis so that I
     continue to improve

12. Be Happier
      Be happier with myself and what I've accomplished so far in life but remember that I (hopefully)
      have long life ahead of me to do more. There's a quote I like that basically says  that your
      happiness is up to you and you make what you want out of your life.

13. Be More Mindful
      To stop focusing more on the future than being present in the moment.

14. Stay Positive
      I do not want to let other people's bad moods affect me so much. Moods are definitely
      contagious and I don't want to let someone else's influence mine in negative way.

15. Exercise More
      I would really like to get into an established exercise routine rather than doing random things on
      random days lol I think that a routine/schedule will help keep me more accountable and able to
      stick with it.

16. Stretch Daily
      Going along with the previous one and because I want to be healthier in general I want to
      stretch daily, ideally do a couple stretches in the morning when I wake up.

17. Have More Family Time
      Do a bit more with my immediate family, maybe even just having dinner together without the t.v.
     on so we "have to" (😄 lol) talk to each other. As I get older I feel time passing by quicker and
     quicker and I don't want to always take my family for granted.

18. Be More Eco-Friendly
      I always try to recycle whatever I can and be conscious of my impact on the environment but can
      always improve. And since the environment is so important I want to learn more about how to be
      more eco-friendly and learn more about sustainability. 

19. Read More Books
     When I was younger I used to read every night before going to bed and I loved it. I loved reading
     novels but as I got older and school got more intense I had less and less free time so in high school
     I stopped reading for myself (as in reading books other than those I needed to for homework).
     Now that it's summer and I do have free time I have fallen back in love with reading and I have
     already read 2 books!

Image via Pinterest

20. Play Piano Again
      I started taking piano lessons in elementary school and continued all the way through high school.
      My lessons were once a week and I obviously practiced on the other days and I definitely enjoyed
      it. 🎹 Once I went to college though and was no longer living at home or with access to a piano I
      stopped taking lessons. When I did come home to visit it was always for a specific reason and so
      I was always busy. I regret that I didn't continue practicing even after stopping lessons. I hope to
      start practicing again even though I'm a bit scared to see how much my ability has diminished.🙈

21. Regularly Use a Journal
      I use and agenda to write down homework, assignments, and appointments etc. but I've never
      really kept up with a journal although I like the idea of it. Sometimes for art courses I've taken
      we've had to use journals but I never really continued to use them or fill them up. While I was
      abroad I did keep a journal and put lots of things in there however I still did not use it as much as
      I would have liked to. I think that they are a great way to document memories and thoughts and
      provide a great place to be creative so hopefully I start using one more.

 My study abroad journal

I noticed that a trend in this list is that a lot of the items have "more" in them, I guess my motto  for my 21st year on Earth could be "Be More:_____" (the blank being filled in with various things) which I think is fitting because those words do imply change and growth and those are necessary things for living a fulfilling life!

Hopefully by this time next year when I look back at this list I will have accomplished the majority, if not all of these things. However some goals will always remain such as continuing to learn new skills, better myself, and being better towards the environment.

What is something you want to do or accomplish? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/emsessentials

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/emsessentials/

Bloglovin': https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/emsessentials-14361729

How to Achieve Your Goals

We all know that reaching our goals can sometimes be very challenging but we can definitely accomplish them with some dedication and effort! The reasoning behind having goals, at least to me, is that they give you something to work towards in order to improve yourself or an aspect of your life and I feel that goals are very important. As I too struggle with always staying on track win regards to  my goals I decided to share some tips for sticking to and achieving your goals and resolutions!

This post actually kind of coincides with my previous post about having a productive summer (which you can check out here if you'd like to). I guess that at the beginning of a new season,  (similar to the beginning of a new year in January) I, like many other people focus more on changing habits and becoming a bettering version of myself -or at least trying to lol! Goals are a great way to do that and to be productive.  Sometimes we start out very strong in regards to accomplishing our goals but then lose motivation. Other times something else gets in the way and interferes or our focus shifts from the goals, making it very hard to reach them. As mentioned, I have complied a list of some things that you can do in order to make it easier to keep on track of and reach your goals!

Write them down

In my opinion this is one of the most helpful things someone can do in order to stay on top of one's goals. If  you write them down it feels more "official" and if you've documented them it will be harder to forget what you intended to work towards. It feels as though you are more dedicated to them and I like the fact that you can check them off, the same way you can "cross things off you to-do list". Having them written down will also allow you to look back after a while and assess yourself and see what you've done and  achieved. 

Set sub goals
 
Sometimes a goal that you have and really want to achieve may seem intimidating at first or you may be unsure of how to go about starting to accomplish it. Instead of just jumping in and to avoid "biting off more than you can chew" you can break the goal down into smaller ones to make the overall goal more manageable.

      For example if one of the goals you have is to be healthier or more fit it would make sense to        come up with different "sub-goals" that you can accomplish in order to become healthier such as having a goal to drink 1500 ml of water a day or to do a certain number of steps a day. Once you reach those you can increase the amounts gradually (up to the number you want) and you'll start being in better shape. As I mentioned, this will make the task of getting fitter less daunting and more manageable.

It will be easier to go about achieving large or long term goals this way and you will feel good about the progress you are making as you accomplish the "sub-goals" leading to the desired end result. 

Share your goals
 
What I mean by this is to let others know what your goals are. By "share" I don't mean to say that someone else needs to have the same goal or goals as you, although that can be helpful since it would allow you to work on them together. Regardless of whether or not any of your friends or family have the same goals as you, or you have only just told them what yours are, having them know will help you stay more accountable. It may also motivate you to keep going and stay on track and they may also help remind you to work on your goals. It's very beneficial to have support whenever you are working towards accomplishing something!

Make a "schedule"

By making a schedule I am talking about having at least a basic time frame of when you want to have certain goals or aspects of goals completed by. If you choose a certain day to have a certain amount of something done by you will be able to check in on the progress you've been making. "Deadlines" can be helpful since it makes you feel as though you have more of a responsibility to do something even if it is just self induced. The "pressure" to finish in time can cause you to put in more effort and achieve your goals faster.

Have an inspiration board

This is a great way to have a visual display of your goals and what you are working towards! You can make a collage or put a poster in your room that has pictures and/or words relating to your goals and include things that inspire you (it's like a real-life Pinterest board 😄). Making an inspiration board can be a very fun project since you can design it any way you like and it can be a good way for you to get more excited about working on and achieving your goals! It's a great form of a reminder to have on your wall and can potentially provide motivation when you look at it (and it can also serve as cute room décor)!

Reward yourself

I think that it's important to recognize what you've done and be proud of milestones along the way to the finish line. So, rewarding yourself after you've met "deadlines" you've set for yourself and when you've made a lot of good progress is a good practice. Allowing yourself to buy, eat, or purchase something (or whatever you choose your reward to be) can be an extra incentive for working toward your goals. Although, completing the goal is the greatest reward in itself since you'll feel so good about accomplishing it! Rewarding yourself after passing milestones on your way to achieving your goals can be helpful but remember to keep your eye on the end prize of completing the goal in it's entirety, don't just think about these small rewards.

Don't compare

It can be hard not to compare yourself to someone else who has achieved some of the things you are trying to accomplish, especially in today's day and age where everyone shares everything on social media, it's easy to become envious of others since people's lives may constantly be put in front of your face. But try to keep in mind that everyone is on their own journey and may have had a different starting point. You don't want to get discouraged because you see someone who has done more than you. Feeling bad about the progress you've made because someone else is closer to the end result than you are can decrease your motivation. If you start feeling like it's no longer worth it to work toward your goal because you feel like you'll never get there you may end up convincing yourself to stop and that is definitely not what we want to happen!

Try not to compare yourself to others, it may sound funny but only compare yourself to yourself. Try to be a better person than you were the day before, self reflection is important. Goals are all about self improvement for your life and the lives of those around you. Focusing on yourself (not in a negative/selfish way) is so important for growth and doing what you need to in order to be happy. And keep in mind what you'll gain from completing your goals: you will increase your confidence, be proud of yourself for accomplishing what you set your mind to, you may end up having more energy, gain knowledge, and skills! (It does depend on what your goals are though but I'm sure your results will at least include some of the things I just mentioned!)

Some of my goals:

I thought that I'd just include some of my goals in this post as well. My goals vary from short term to long term and some are much more meaningful than others, there are a couple trivial ones- but hey, everyone's entitled to be a little frivolous lol

• My Blog: One of the goals I have for this summer is to work more on my blog and post more often! Let's see how well I do!


• Fitness & Health: I am hoping to get in better shape and build some muscle (I'm so weak 🙈) and I also want to just become more healthy in general, such as by eating better and getting in to a routine for working out


• Reading: When I was younger I absolutely loved reading and I would read every night. Once I got into high school and definitely in college, I had so little time that I never really read any novels for fun (as in reading for myself and not because I had to for homework). I've missed it and I hope to do a lot of reading this summer!


• Family: Although I am living at home now since my semester ended I still feel as though I don't interact with my family as much as I should or talk enough about meaningful things with them. And it's so easy to just get caught up in watching tv separately in different rooms but, as cheesy as this may sound, I hope that my family and I start having occasional game nights again soon or something. 


• Self: I hope to work on gaining more self confidence and not doubt myself or my abilities as much as I do. I hope that I do more of what I plan rather than just thinking about doing it. And just reminding myself to not just get caught up in what's popular.


• Travel: I love traveling internationally and really want to go to Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, but these are on my bucket list for the future. This summer I highly doubt that I will be traveling internationally but I'm still keeping a flicker of hope alive in regards to visiting Montreal this summer though! Nonetheless I hope to visit some neighboring states and see different towns in Massachusetts that I haven't been to before or haven't visited in a while such as Gloucester and Newburyport. I also really want to make it down to the Cape at some point, I used to go every summer but haven't been in a few years! 

Reminiscing about Europe, this is a picture I took while visiting Venice this past fall!

Pet: This is another lofty goal, I really want a dog but I know it wouldn't make sense to get one now or in the near future. But it's still on my list and someday it'll happen!

Camera: One of my goals is to learn how to use a DSLR camera to take nice photos, but I do need to get one of them first! lol

Bag: This may seem materialistic but I hope to own a Chanel bag one day. It is one of my favorite brands and I love the person Coco was and a lot of what she stood for. I've read about her and I admire what she was able to do and how she built a life for herself. I definitely recommend checking out "Mademoiselle Chanel: A Novel" by C. W. Gortner, it is not a biography, meaning that the author has taken some liberties to shape his story but it is fairly accurate and a great read!

Art: I am someone who enjoys doing crafts and making things, but as with reading, due to school I hardly have the time. Now that it's summer I hope that I'll be able to start drawing more or painting, just something crafty or doing a couple DIYS. (You may have inferred that because I like drawing and painting that I am good at doing them but sadly no, I don't think that I'm that great at either of them but I still think it's fun and hope to improve!)

Again, these are only some of my goals, I do want to accomplish more in life than what's listed here, these are just a few I thought I'd share.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope that you found this to be at least a little bit helpful! Please feel free to comment down below what some of your goals are, I'd love to hear them!

Other Places You Can Find Me:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/emsessentials

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/emsessentials/

Bloglovin': https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/emsessentials-14361729